The Flagpole

A rite of passage for all new Princethorpians is a climb to the top of Princethorpe’s iconic tower. With spectacular views across the Warwickshire countryside, it really rewards the winding nearly 200-step climb. It can be seen from miles around, is integral to the College’s identity and even features on the school crest. On Tuesday 31 January, in the bright winter sunshine, and as he marks the completion of his first month at Princethorpe, Mr du Toit made the climb to the top to take in the panoramic views. On the way up he discovered the secrets of the rooms in the Tower, including the bell room with nine old bells and the old water tanks for the Chapel’s organ. From the top he had a bird’s eye view of the whole College campus and of the progress of the College’s new state-of-the-art Science Centre. 

The Warwickshire Schools County Cross Country Championships took place on Saturday 21 January here at Princethorpe College. 46 Princethorpe runners, drawn from across the school, competed against the best runners from 29 Warwickshire schools in what is always a well contested event. All the cross-country training paid dividends with another excellent set of individual and team results for the College. First three places count for the team.

The Minor Boys, Inter Boys, Senior Boys, Inter Girls and Senior Girls all placed first overall claiming the team County Cross Country Championship titles. The Junior Boys team placed second, the Junior Girls third and the Minor Girls fifth. A huge well done to them all.

Ben Smith and Evie Marston earned themselves Gold Medals, Felix Batty and Lily Hunter claimed Silvers and Grace Darcy a Bronze and a total of 12 pupils have qualified to run for the County in the ESAA National Championships on Saturday 18 March at Wollaton Park in Nottingham or in the National Primary and Year 7 Cross Country Finals on Saturday 25 March at Prestwold Hall in Leicestershire.

The Minor Boys ran superbly to claim team victory for Princethorpe, Charlie Leech came home first for Princethorpe in 5th place closely followed by James Bostock 7th, Sidney Penn 8th, Alvin Wamala 12th and Jack McKay 17th. The Minor Girls also ran a determined race with Katherine Lee finishing 16th, just behind her was Isla Harrison 20th, Dami Ajagunna 21st and Chloe Sarkies 27th, their hard work helped their team finish in fifth place overall.

The Junior Girls ran steadily to finish third overall. Trailblazer Lily Hunter led the team home in 2nd place with Rosa Davis finishing 11th, Anabel Davis 18th, Delilah Teeton 22nd, Marley Adnitt 24th, Jessie Murphy 25th, Clea Roach 26th and Ellie Maffey 29th. The Junior Boys went one better with the team finishing second overall. William Smith led the way home finishing 13th, hard on his heels was Mark Message 14th, Charlie Atkins 19th, Toby Iley 21st, Ollie Hawkins 23rd, Louis Reynolds 25th, Soren Wasley 28th, Freddie Stephenson 35th, Sam Grindal 36th and Rob James-Pantoja 37th.

Excellent performances by cross country stalwarts Ben Smith who finished 1st and Felix Batty 2nd, supported by Jesse Esler 8th, Eddie Arkesden 16th, William Gower 17th, Jamie Capelett 19th, Oscar Civzelis 23rd and Adam Chambers 25th helped the Inter Boys claim another first team place. As did the Inter Girls who ran a great race, with Evie Marston finishing 1st, Ava Farren, 7th, Kate Pomerleau 8th and Kaena Wasley 19th.

Finally for the Senior Boys, Toby Collett finished 9th, Edward Mitchell 11th and Guy Dawkins 12th to claim team victory and for the Senior Girls another excellent performance from the team saw Grace Darcy finish 3rd, Jess Evans 5th, Tasha Thomas 7th and Emma Sarkies 8th securing yet another team first.

Head of Outdoor Education and PE Teacher, Will Bower commented, "It was good to see the College so well represented at the County Championships. Well done to all of our competitors, we saw some excellent personal performances in tough races. I am delighted with the overall team results, not least placing first in five of the age groups we entered."

Huge thanks to Estates, Grounds, current and former staff, parents and the Games Captains for all their help with organising and running the event.

Princethorpe's cross country teams also had a really successful day at Bedstone College on Wednesday 25 January. We are just waiting on confirmation of the team places and will share news of the results as soon as we receive them.

The Oxford University Computing Challenge is an invitational event for those who finish in the top 10% of the UK Bebras Challenge. Both challenges test skills such as logical thinking, pattern identification and decomposition as well as computer programming. The challenge encourages pupils to develop their skills one stage further and consists of a range of tasks and programming challenges to solve.

Year 9, Daniel Ovens Gibbs competed in the Intermediate section this year against just over 9,500 pupils who had qualified for this year’s competition. To add to the challenge, this year the time limit to complete the tasks was reduced to 45 minutes instead of an hour. That did not faze Daniel though, who finished in the top 1%, achieving a Distinction grade for his submission as well as beating his score from last year.

Head of Computer Science, Adam Depledge said, “This really is a fantastic achievement by Daniel. Computational thinking is such an incredibly useful and powerful skill and Daniel has shown he has mastered it to a level well beyond his years. It’s great to see his abilities recognised in such a prestigious competition.”

Master butcher Simon Kelly from Aubrey Allen in Leamington Spa visited Princethorpe College on Thursday 26 January to share his skills with Year 11 pupils studying for their Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE. Under Simon’s expert guidance the pupils worked hard to bone a chicken before being shown how to prepare two different dishes, first a sun blushed tomato stuffed chicken supreme wrapped in Aubrey Allen's smoked bacon and then a chicken ballotine.

Simon stressed the importance of working with top quality meat. He demonstrated using a knife confidently as an extension of your index finger, building pupils’ confidence with food preparation techniques. The curriculum they are following is strongly based on higher level skills, including boning meat, so the techniques pupils learned today will stand them in good stead when they take their practical exams later this year.

Many thanks to Simon and to Aubrey Allen for sharing their expertise.

How fantastic to see Foundation pupils’ work being celebrated in the Independent Schools Association latest National Art Competition Brochure.

Recent leaver, Grace Leigh’s stunning and atmospheric photograph Phantom Of The River received a Highly Commended in the national Key Stage 5 Photography class this year. Her picture was one part of her triptych that was presented at the College’s Art Show last summer. The photo is an original unedited work, and by all reports the water in the lake was exceptionally cold when the young artist staged her shot. Her super work is featured on page 38.

Then 2022 leaver and Art Scholar, Tillie Benford’s, compendium of drawings, Last Day Of High School, which qualified in the KS5 Sketchbook class, can be found on page 35. 

While Foundation Prep school, Crackley Hall School’s Junior 1’s A Fishy Tale which qualified for the Key Stage 1 3D Art Group class is also featured on page 20.

It's amazing to see our pupils' work being celebrated in this way.

Don't forget that Princethorpe will once again be holiding its Summer Art Show on Thursday 22 June and Sunday 25 June as part of Warwickshire Open Studios when this year's A-level and GCSE Art and Product Design examination work will be on display. Put the date in your diary now.

Well done to the U13 Boys Hockey team who competed in the National ISA Hockey Tournament at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre in the London Olympic Park this week on Wednesday 1 February. Facing 21 teams from across the country, they performed incredibly well throughout the day, not conceding a goal in open play. They came home with a Bronze Medal in the Plate competition after losing out in the semi-final on penalty flicks. A great achievement – congratulations to them all.

This week our Sixth Form Chemists enjoyed a fascinating lecture organised by the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry in conjunction with the University of Birmingham. The extra-curricular trip provided an opportunity to appreciate the practical applications of chemistry, as well as offering an insight into life and lectures at university.

Dr Tom Smith of CarnDu Limited spoke on the chemistry behind fireworks, colours, effects and using gas pressure to form different whistles and bangs. Our students were exposed to the dangers and challenges of unstable compounds, blast zones and organising impressive displays. The lecture was a pyrotechnical extravaganza of colour, light, sound and sparks. Dr Smith has plenty of experience on the subject having been involved in firework displays for events such as the London Olympics 2012, the Manchester and Melbourne Commonwealth Games and London’s New Year’s Eve displays.

Chemistry teacher, Jo Smith, commented, “The lecture was really interesting, Dr Smith was very engaging bringing his subject to life and giving students a greater understanding of the working scientific world.”

Our Lower Sixth Geographers very much enjoyed their residential field trip last week. They visited the excellent Cranedale Centre at Kirby Grindalythe near Malton, in the Yorkshire Wolds from Tuesday 24 to Friday 27 January to conduct field studies on costal places including measuring beach profiles as well as exercises in planning and carrying out small scale projects and investigating housing and land use, all important for their A-level studies.

As well as working in and around the Field Centre, they visited Flamborough Head, the Holderness Coast and Scarborough Town. The weather treated them fairly, staying dry and for the most part bright and the students worked hard to collect and analyse their data. As always, the trip was an invaluable learning experience that will assist them all in completing their important NEA coursework.

Last week, Alex Darkes, Foundation Assistant Head, was delighted to welcome James Davies OP, CEO The Wigley Group, Tilley England, Newton LDP, Katie Wigley OP, The Wigley Group, and Bud Jackson, Stoneleigh Riding Club, to Princethorpe to discuss this year’s National Schools and Riding Clubs Two-Day Event.

Entries are now open for the two-day event which takes place on Saturday 27 May and Sunday 28 May. The only event of its kind in the UK, and attracting up to 300 riders each year. Backed by local firms The Wigley Group and Newton LDP the ‘long format’ event encompasses dressage and show-jumping on day one, with roads and tracks, steeplechase and cross-country disciplines running on day two.

This year’s event includes a new 70cm class to open up the competition to a wider field of riders, and includes a new spectator area to satisfy growing demand. The 70cm competitors will have a shortened roads and tracks course which excludes the steeplechase, before moving onto the unique cross-country course designed and built by Lloyd Hunt from LandS Eventing. As well as the new 70cm class, the event retains its 80cm, 90cm and 100cm disciplines.

Pupils interested in taking part in the event should message Mrs Fielding on Teams, or email at louisafielding@princethorpe.co.uk. 

More information is available from www.stoneleighridingclub.com

Huge congratulations to Rod Isaacs, Cyp Vella, Andy Compton, Ellie Callan, Clare White, Ben Collie and OP Tom Pilling who pounded the pavements and paths around Leamington and Warwick in a half marathon last Sunday morning. The hardy runners were fundraising for a charity close to Princethorpe's heart, Mary's Meals. Well done to them all for completing their challenge.

If you would like to show your support for their intrepid efforts please follow the link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/princethorpemarysmeals

Senior Cricket at Princethorpe is fully into preseason preparations under the guidance of two experienced cricketers, teacher, Alex Phillips, former Herefordshire and Shropshire opening batsman, current Vice-Captain of Knowle and Dorridge men's first team and the second-highest scoring batsman in the history of the Birmingham Premier League, and Harry Walters, first team all-rounder for Cropredy Cricket Club. 

This year, the College has successfully trialled Senior Cricket training on Fridays after school. The comprehensive training programme providing players with the opportunity for year-round skill development in preparation for the cricket season. The club has been a great success and Mr Phillips and the young players are all looking forward to the season ahead.

In the sessions Mr Phillips and Mr Walters have been able to focus on different elements of fielding, batting, bowling and wicketkeeping. Each session has included fielding technical skill development along with game-based drills to improve awareness, communication and leadership. Using the College’s indoor nets, the players have also been working on their batting and bowling technique to become more powerful and consistent performers, as well as their decision-making in pressured match scenarios such as a run chase. The high standard of players has helped the group discuss tactics for bowling and batting when pitched against one another and it has been fantastic to see the talent on show.

First team Captain, Upper Sixth Former, Will Hawkins, explains, “Cricket this term has been an excellent chance to hone my skills. All the players have benefitted from the dedicated facilities and high-quality coaching, and I am looking forward to building a competitive First XI for next summer. It has been refreshing to see the depth of talent in the younger year groups too, and it would be great to see some more new faces on a Friday night!”

Year 10, Jesse Esler, U15 Captain and Warwickshire U15 County player, commented, “Cricket training has allowed me to maintain my skills throughout the winter giving me more confidence in my ability when I train with the Warwickshire team.”

Year 10, Will Hughes, U15 cricketer, added, “Working with boys of the same ability across age groups has been fantastic giving me the opportunity to work on my weaknesses ready for the season.”

The College is committed to providing an environment where young players can work to achieve their potential and is delighted with pupil engagement with the College's Senior Cricket programme.

On Sunday 22 January, our determined equestrian teams entered the Schools Eventer Challenge at Washbrook Farm in Aston le Walls. Despite the freezing conditions, Claudia, Sophie, Emily and Harriet finished in second place in the 90cm team event, a fantastic result. Weather conditions have made training horses difficult these past few weeks so a huge well done to all the girls who took part!

Recognition also to the parents for getting ponies, pupils and kit to the venues and spending many cold hours supporting from the ground.

Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from local primary schools enjoyed an introduction to the sport of Rugby when they took part in Princethorpe's Try Tag Rugby event. The after-school session took place on Friday 20 January and was organised by the College's PE team on a cold all-weather pitch.

Working in small groups, with Sixth Form students and coaching staff, the children started with some fun warm up activities. They then enjoyed skill building drills before finishing with a mini game. Of course, after all that energetic fun the youngsters were sent on their way clutching certificates and legendary Princethorpe cookies.

Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin, was impressed at how well the children took to the sport commenting, “It was fantastic to have so many enthusiastic boys and girls here on a Friday afternoon. They had a great time getting to grips with Tag Rugby, quickly mastering the game.”

The successful workshop was just one of a series of activities and opportunities the College organises for prospective pupils to introduce and familiarise youngsters with the school. Next up on the sporting front is Princethorpe’s High 5 Netball Tournament for local schools on Tuesday 7 March and then in the Trinity Term we are offering our Say Hello to Hockey event for Year 4 and 5 children on Saturday 13 May and our local schools U10 Football Tournament on Monday 15 May.